Arranging and Storing

Problem: You need some of your supplies sooner than others.
Solution: At the end of each season, pack an “Open First” box. “Then store last the things that you’ll need to take out first,” says author Donna Smallin. “They’ll be the easiest to reach when it is time to find them again.” And if you decide to keep next year’s decorations to a minimum, you won’t have to open up every last carton to find the essentials.

Problem: You can never find anything.
Solution: “Label each box with the holiday and a few bullet points about its contents,” Smallin suggests. “Then organize the boxes by season.” For an even easier identification system, use boxes with color-coded lids (orange for Halloween, for example, and yellow for Easter). For the ultimate in organization, Smallin suggests keeping a more detailed content list for each box on your computer. “When the Fourth of July comes around and you need that American flag,” she says, “just do a document search for ‘flag’ before digging through all the boxes.”

Problem: You need to store your decorations in the basement, which is always damp.
Solution: Use plastic storage containers with tight seals, and place them up off the floor on shelves or palettes, in case of flooding. To help keep boxes free of moisture, Hill recommends dropping in a few silica packets (often found in new shoe boxes, or available for purchase at the Preservation Station, www.preservesmart.com).